Archive:Painting With Ashes
"Painting with Ashes" is a ongoing cross-faction story arc set primarily in Shattrath in present-day. It revolves around the continuing tension and escalating conflict between several of the Houses of the Scryers, and a nationalistic offshoot of the Aldor -- both of whom decide the city is too small for the other. It is a story of violence, betrayal, romance, and hope; and none will walk away unchanged. This is a small-group RP, currently comprised of ~5 individuals; others are welcome to join if they are interested. Cast Sin'dorei Taladris Ashtender, the head of House Ashtender of Shattrath, and a member of the Council of Houses; Nenia Ashtender , his daughter and only child, heiress to the House; Lind'lil Dawnslash, Nenia's former warden and friend to the House; Lethalion ???, hot-headed friend of Nenia's. Draenei Makaat, head of the Aldor Reclaimers, the militant anti-Scryer segment of the Aldor; Aquanis, ??? Ikurus, younger brother of Aquanis; Nirue, elder sister of Aquanis and an ardent believer in Scryer expatriation. Backstory Timeline Year 26 Blood elves enter Shattrath City, lay down their arms, and vow to fight alongside the resident draenei against the forces of the Burning Legion and Kael'thas Sunstrider. House Ashtender, led by Taladris Ashtender, is at the fore of the resistance movement, and quickly rises to prominence in the newly-established Scryers. Kael'thas is defeated and the Burning Legion is set back severely; Kil'jaeden is stopped from entering Azeroth at the Sunwell Plateau on Quel'danas. Celebrations occur in Shattrath City. Draenei and blood elf share a brief but relaxed period of mutual victory over a common foe. Year 27 Signs of tension start to arise. Racial profanity is muttered on both sides, though primarily in whispers. Scryer Council of Houses established, with city-wide racial equality as a goal. The Council is comprised of five Houses: Dragonshire, Embershine, Dawnfire, Sunspear, and Ashtender. Taladris is an outspoken critic of what he calls unethical treatment of sin'dorei. Year 28 April 16th Four draenei are murdered by a crazed, masked blood elf in the Bank of the Aldor. The Massacre at the Aldor Bank, as it is now called, is the first incidence of racial tension leading to outright violence, although the elf is not apprehended and cannot be questioned. No Scryer House takes responsibility. May 5th In response, Aldor Order of the Reclaimers is established by Makaat, widower of one of the slain draenei. The Aldor Reclaimers attempt to persuade the Shattrath city elders to evict the Scryers, to no avail. Makaat petitions A'dal for help in removing the elves, but is cautioned against violence, and receives no help from the naaru. Makaat continues to spread anti-Scryer propaganda amongst his compatriots and his resistance movement grows. August 23rd The Scryer library is set on fire, and most of the books inside lost. The library is mostly empty and there are no casualties, though one Scryer librarian is badly burned. The party responsible is identified to be a young draenei vindicator named Garmesh. The Council of Houses calls for his execution; A'dal instead banishes Garmesh from the city. The Aldor Reclaimers deny any responsibility. October 19th During Harvest Festival, an Aldor anchorite is raped and slain by a krokul worker in the Lower City. He is put to death, but mutters the name "Garmesh" on the executioner's block. Rumors circulate that the Scryers are to blame. A contingent of Aldor peacekeepers investigates, but finds no leads; the tracks are either cleverly hidden, or nonexistent. Year 29 February 23rd A blood elf boy, Ra'thas Highstrider, dies from a fall from Aldor Rise. The Aldor are quick to point fingers at the Scryers, suspecting foul play. Ra'thas' mother, Lenna Highstrider, is adamant that her son would never have been on the Rise alone, and witnesses claim to have seen the boy with two companions shortly before his death. Details are scarce, and vary from witness to witness. April 8th A chance street encounter between a group of Aldor peacekeepers and Scryer patrollers escalates from verbal sniping into bloodshed. One of the peacekeepers dies, and another loses an arm in the violence; two Scyers are slain, and a fireball explosion deafens another. Two innocent bystanders are killed. The surviving members of each faction are tried in a public tribunal with A'dal presiding. All are sent to prison, but the punishment is unequal -- the Scryers are deemed to have instigated the violence and are sentenced to 50 years, versus 40 for the draenei. House Ashtender vocally opposes what it sees as unfair bias of the naaru to its own, but eventually agrees to the terms. June 26th An intercepted communique between Lord Dan'athar Dawnfire and an unnamed assassin implicates House Dawnfire in anti-Aldor violence. Lord Dawnfire claims the instructions are planted as an attempt to frame his house, though he can offer nothing but baseless accusations. The other Houses quickly denounce House Dawnfire, and immediately bar them from the Council. July 2nd House Dawnfire leaves Shattrath City amidst death threats and vandalism. A smaller House, House Hearthglow, accepts an interim seat on the Council of Houses. Hearthglow is significantly more Aldor-friendly than the other Houses on the Council; tension builds within the sin'dorei ranks. September 5th Makaat's son, Ogumi, is attacked by masked blood elves just outside of the city walls. He is stripped naked and robbed of all his possessions. Makaat is furious; he gathers several peacekeepers, storms into a rushed Council meeting, and demands to know which House is responsible. Taladris Ashtender indicates that it was likely a random act of violence; Makaat, severely outnumbered, withdraws. Makaat orders the Aldor Rise peacekeepers to kill any blood elves that come within fifty yards, no questions asked. Amongst the council members, Taladris suggests that House Hearthglow, being the newest Council House, would have the most to prove by performing a blatantly incendiary act. November 21st Makaat and Lord Ala'tanis Hearthglow meet in secret. Ala'tanis agrees to inform Makaat of further anti-Aldor activity originating from the Council, effectively becoming a spy, though the agreement allows Ala'tanis to withhold the names of specific perpetrators. Year 30 Februrary 26th Kalla, a Sha'tari Skyguard Captain and Argent Tournament champion, openly mocks the wife of a prominent Aldor delegate, calling her a "knife-eared slut." Makaat is made aware of an impending, indirect assassination attempt by one of the Houses against Kalla; his Aldor Reclaimers ambush the would-be attacker, though they kill the assassin without first questioning her. Makaat rages, but again he has no proof of House involvement. Deciding Ala'tanis is too valuable to reveal, he settles for redoubling his anti-Scryer propaganda. June 1st Ala'tanis informs Makaat about a plot to plant evidence on Aquanis, an Aldor Reclaimer, to make it appear as if the Reclaimers are responsible for the boy Ra'thas Highstrider's death. Makaat alters a travel path of Aquanis' at the last minute; although he is successful in avoiding the pin, he fears he has tipped his hand. Indeed, having seen two of his plans thwarted, Taladris begins to suspect an insider, but keeps this to himself. June 16th A sin'dorei, unaffiliated with the warring factions, is killed incidentally at a Misummer Fire Festival celebration -- all witnesses claim he accidentally burned to death when a load of fireworks erupted early. By now, the tensions are so high that the blood elves accuse the draenei of murder without any evidence. For their part, the draenei accuse the blood elves of framing both draenei and krokul fireworks operators. A bar fight escalates into a small skirmish in the streets. Taladris, for once, publicly denies any suspicion of draenei wrongdoing, and calls on Makaat to do the same. Makaat refuses to show. The violence abates nevertheless. August 20th Nenia Ashtender, thrill-seeking huntress and daughter of Taladris, is out for drinks at the World's End Tavern with two of her patroller friends, Tymonde Fireblaze and Aubri Hearthglow. Three draenei walk in, insult the elves, and pretend to draw weapons. Tymonde and Aubri, drunk, proceed to kill one of the draenei and gravely wound another. Nenia is too drunk to remember the details; she believes the draenei to be the aggressors. Taladris is furious at his daughter for being out -- as usual, against his orders -- and for participating in what he believes to be actions counter to the Scryer cause. He orders her confined to the Scryer's Tier as punishment. Story Timeline Year 30 August 21st Nenia Ashtender meets with Lind'lil Dawnslash on the terrace of the Scryer's Tier, and remenisces a little about the past with her former warden. Nenia expresses discontent with her confinement. Nenia and Lind'lil play fetch with Nenia's pet dragonhawk, Luma. When an errant ball throw causes Luma to approach the Lower City, she is attacked by a nether ray and is wounded badly. Nenia attempts to rescue her dragonhawk, but is stopped by the guards when she tries to leave the terrace. "Lil" intercedes on Nenia's behalf; she proceeds to kill the ray and save Luma's life. Nenia is furious, and -- correctly assuming Aldor involvement -- vows to go to her father with the news. Lind'lil watches her storm away, saddened by the anger and loss of innocence she sees in her former charge. -=-=- Meanwhile, Aquanis and his sister, Nirue, discuss the events at the World's End from the previous day. Nirue is angry and frustrated by the lack of tangible response to what she considers unchecked sin'dorei aggression against her people. Aquanis, tired of the constant hostility on both sides, condemns both the Council (notably House Ashtender) as well as Makaat for fueling the fire. The discussion is interrupted by the fighting between Luma and the ray; Nirue rushes down to see the events first-hand, but is unable to make sense of this fight. She and Aquanis watch as Lind'lil kills the ray and leaves wordlessly with Luma. Nirue and Aquanis return to the Aldor Rise, with Aquanis suggesting that the fight need not concern them. Nirue is not so sure; she bids Aquanis goodbye and decides to go find their little brother Ikurus. -=-=- Nenia's father is busy entertaining guests, so she leaves, bathes herself and Luma, and returns to the terrace, where Lil is waiting for her. They reminisce about times long past in Silvermoon City before the Scourge. Nenia asks Lil to tell her a story about her mother, who died when Nenia was too young to remember her. Lil talks of her mother's penchant for poetry and hunting; Nenia interrupts, adding details, having heard the stories many times. The two women, old and young, reflect on how different life would have been with Nenia's mother around. They share a laugh, recalling how Nenia tried as a little girl to play matchmaker between Lil and her father, so Lil would never leave. Before retiring for the night, Nenia asks Lil to petition her father to allow Nenia to leave the terrace, and also to meet the next morning for sparring practice. Lil agrees to both requests, and Nenia carries an exhausted Luma to bed. August 22nd Nenia and Lil meet in the morning and practice swordplay. Nenia is faster than Lil can remember, but not fast enough to win. Lil gives Nenia some advice about using her speed as a strength; Nenia complains once more to her former matron of her confinement, and Lil counters, saying that some of the blame falls on Nenia's shoulders. Lil leaves briefly, and returns in revealing clothing, to Nenia's discomfort; they leave shortly thereafter to petition Taladris. Taladris is waiting in the Council chambers, having recently finished a conversation with Ala'tanis Hearthglow. Nenia pleads, tactlessly, for her freedom, as she and Lil enter. Taladris brushes her off gently, but firmly, reiterating his desire to keep her sheltered from the fallout of the events at World's End. He mentions that Le'thalion Hearthglow, the son of Ala'tanis, wishes to see her. When Taladris accidentally lets slip that he is considering marriage plans between Nenia and Le'thalion, Nenia reacts with disgust, but is careful not to go directly against her father's wishes. The three elves proceed to the inn for dinner. The service is sub-par, by Taladris' standards. Nenia also vocalizes her half-hearted displeasure with the quality of the food, though she is preoccupied by her concern for Luma, her displeasure with her confinement, and the horror of being forced to marry. Taladris continues to speak of Le'thalion, and how marriage to him would allow House Ashtender to absorb House Hearthglow. They discuss what implications this may have, and Nenia voices her concern that the other Houses may unite against House Ashtender, an assertion that Taladris marginalizes. Taladris also scoffs at Nenia's choice of armament -- sword and knife offhand, and especially bow -- considering these "women's weapons." Nenia attempts once more, in vain, to request chaperoned recesses from the Tier. Despite Lind'lil's best efforts to persuade him, Taladris is adamant in his position. He takes Nenia in his lap and gives her a hug, and then she leaves with the leftovers, hoping that Luma will eat. Unbeknownst to Nenia, Lind'lil and Taladris have had a romantic relationship on-and-off ever since the supposedly-failed matchmaking attempt. When Nenia leaves and they are alone, they discuss candidly their relationship; Lind'lil promises to stay awhile, and in between good-natured defense of Nenia, they briefly talk of their stillborn would-be son. Taladris makes a romantic advance, which Lind'lil postpones, staying behind to help the servants clean up after the meal. August 23rd Nenia meets Lind'lil on the Tier once more. Nenia learns from the elder elf that her friends from the bar, Tymonde and Aubri, are in jail and are facing a possible death sentence if convicted. Nenia blames the draenei in frustration, and Lil repremands her for failing to take her share of responsibility for the events that led to her friends' arrests. The two exchange some heated words, and Lind'lil rails against the bigotry she hears in Nenia's words and tone. Nenia leaves, promising that she would "hunt" come nightfall. -=-=-=- Later that afternoon, Lind'lil is granted an audience with Makaat, the head of the Aldor Reclaimers. Makaat has recently recieved a document bearing signed confessions of witnesses of the bar massacre. Lind'lil's visit is diplomatic -- she wishes Makaat to ease off of the charges against the accused sin'dorei. Makaat listens to her, but is dead set on a path of retribution, and deflects her attempts at clemency. Inwardly, though, Makaat is torn -- he knows that Aubri is the daughter of his double agent, Ala'tanis Hearthglow, and he's not sure how to convincingly make a case for her death while ensuring her safety. He summons for Ala'tanis after Lind'lil leaves. -=-=- Late in the evening, Nenia slips out of the Tier and alights on the roof of the prison where Aubri Hearthglow is held. She and Aubri exchange hushed words about the events at the bar; when Aubri explains to Nenia that Aubri and Tymonde were in fact the aggressors, Nenia is shocked. They discuss Aubri's incarceration, Luma's condition, and Taladris' talk of marriage. They are interrupted by Le'thalion Hearthglow, Aubri's brother, who has come to find Nenia; Nenia hides in the rafters, and Aubri lies about Nenia's whereabouts. Lethalion reveals that a deal has been struck between House Ashtender and House Hearthglow; in exchange for bribery that will lead to Aubri's freedom, Nenia is to be wed to Le'thalion. Nenia silently expresses her shock and revulsion. Before Aubri finally gets him to leave, Le'thalion makes an implication about Aubri's sexual preference, as well as voicing his dislike of Nenia's personality and his own attraction to Aubri, his sister. When he is out of earshot, Nenia bids Aubri a quick farewell and scrambles to return to the Tier before Le'thalion can alert her father to her absence. -=-=- Nenia returns to her home to find Taladris waiting for her with Belielidria, a servant. Taladris, aware of his daughter's absence, is furious. He indicates he has been petitioning -- bribing -- others for the safe release of Aubri, in exchange for Nenia's hand in marriage to Le'thalion Hearthglow, confirming Nenia's fears. She storms off to her room and locks the door; Taladris beats down the door and confronts his daughter. Bel is assigned to take the punishment if Nenia leaves her room again without permission. Taladris emphasizes that Nenia will marry Le'thalion, or Taladris will destroy his petitions and let Aubri die. Taladris leaves. Nenia, rattled, briefly plays with plans of escape. Bel tries to cheer her up, but Nenia will have none of it; she instead berates Bel for assuming the servant can teach the noble, misdirecting her anger onto Bel. Nenia forces Bel to pick up the remnants of the door and to sleep on a chair in the corner of the room. Nenia's sleep is plagued by nightmares of helplessly watching Luma die a thousand deaths. August 24th Aquanis meets Makaat in their house in the Aldor Rise. Makaat is busily putting together his case against Aubri Hearthglow and Tymonde Fireweave. He confesses to his adoptive son that Ishanah, the head of the Shattrath Aldor, is pushing for clemency for Aubri, which puts Makaat in a difficult position. On the one hand, Makaat secretly also does not wish to see Aubri killed, as it would jeopardize his standing with her father Ala'tanis Hearthglow, his informant; but on the other, Makaat worries that vocal opposition from the head of the Aldor serves to discredit the Aldor Reclaimers, and wonders aloud as to whether Ishanah is suitable for her role. Aquanis and Makaat sit for a meal. Makaat asks Aqua as to the whereabouts of his hot-headed sister, Nirue, and bookworm brother, Ikurus, but Aqua has no idea. Makaat confesses he is worried about Nirue's ability to control her temper, though "her heart is in the right place." The two discuss Aquanis' melee training, which has not been going well. Makaat mentions that, come spring, he will find a trainer versed in the Light for Aqua; the younger draenei protests gently, indicating that perhaps the Shadow is better-suited for him. Makaat has a strong distaste for this idea, and asks Aquanis rhetorically if he has ever seen death. He then states that Aquanis shall be present for the trial and sentencing of Tymonde Fireweave, to cure Aquanis of this silly notion of the Shadow as a calling. Category:Archived Stories